However, the outcome turned out completely different. The invitation she had handed over with hands full of excitement, trembling, and expectation was burned along with the firewood, and Lucienne was completely excluded from the work.
Lars had never made impulsive decisions before, so he was more surprised than anyone by his own actions. Therefore, he had to reflect on why he made such a decision. And the reason he found was so childishly pathetic that he couldn’t tell anyone.
He had been bothered by the fact that the little girl who had looked at him so fervently said she would take Chester Storms as her partner with such a nonchalant face. Quite surprisingly.
Unable to accept the conclusion he had reached, Lars denied it several times, but no matter how much he thought about it, that was the only reason. That ridiculous, laughable reason.
……If only he hadn’t burned the invitation, there would have been a way.
While he was irritably running his hand through his hair, Yanken’s gruff voice flew in.
“If you’re going to keep being so restless, why don’t you just go visit?”
Turning around, he saw Yanken standing there with a map, wearing a displeased expression. Lars asked back with an indifferent face.
“Where?”
“The Bickman family’s New Year’s party.”
“What I’m worried about is the journey to Freemont. We need to prepare for any possible attacks. Why on earth would I worry about that child?”
“The Bickman family isn’t exactly ‘that child,’ is it?”
At Yanken’s raised eyebrows and sneer, Lars’s eyes narrowed. As he was about to retort, his gaze suddenly flew to the door. He had heard someone rushing into the inn.
Noticing that those footsteps were heading straight to this room without hesitation, Yanken placed his hand on his knife hilt and stood beside the door. They exchanged glances as the door opened urgently. Yanken frowned at the sight of Hardy, soaked with rain.
“You, did you really need to make such a commotion when coming in……”
“We have big trouble, Commander.”
Lars approached quickly, seeing the ominous uneasiness on Hardy’s face, which was usually full of cheerful mischief. Panting, Hardy lowered her voice.
“The Count has barged into the Bickman residence.”
“What?”
Yanken’s mouth fell open. Lars, his expression hardening, asked again.
“Didn’t you say he went hunting a few days ago?”
“Yes. The last news was that he was moving to Rarefield Forest this morning. I was monitoring the mansion because of that Quido fellow, and since it was the day of the party and the weather was bad, I was inside the mansion. But Balshwin came to the mansion alone, riding a single horse. All the guests had left.”
“Then why did you come here? You should be watching what that man is doing!”
To Yanken’s excited words, Hardy widened her eyes.
“If that butcher intends to swing his knife, I couldn’t stop him alone anyway. And it didn’t seem like that was his intention. He said he encountered the storm while hunting and visited the nearby Bickman residence—a lie, of course. I came to report while he was washing up.”
That’s right. If Balshwin had intended to kill Kirhin, it would have been over before Hardy could do anything. Lars grabbed his coat with a furrowed brow.
“I need to go.”
“Commander, wait.”
Yanken blocked his way.
“This could be a trap. That beast-like man must have a reason for going there with such an absurd excuse.”
“I think so too. If he’s not there to kill the Baron, he must have another purpose, so for now, we should just observe the situation……”
“That’s what I’m going to do—observe the situation.”
Seeing Lars pull his hood down and pass by, Yanken made a face.
“If you’re going, let’s go together.”
“Multiple people would be noticeable in the rain. You go to Nix. That side might be in danger too.”
As the two paused with an “Ah,” Lars rushed out. It was a valid point. It could be a ploy to draw attention while planning to attack the merchant group.
“That damn bastard starting trouble in this weather. Let’s hurry, you fool!”
Hardy grumbled as she left the room. Yanken hurriedly organized the maps before putting on his coat. As Hardy said, it was weather that made you curse spontaneously.
* * *
The pouring rain obscured his vision, but Lars rode at full speed. The horse slipped in the mud twice, but fortunately quickly regained its balance. It seemed he wasn’t the only one who had spurred his horse in this foul weather.
Balshwin’s purpose couldn’t be to harm Kirhin, so it probably wasn’t a very dangerous situation. Perhaps he was there to threaten or observe.
But Lars felt uneasy. What if Lucienne was one of the reasons Balshwin moved personally?
……Of all times.
Lars gripped the reins and gritted his teeth.
He knew Lucienne’s personality to some extent. She might be frightened when confronted with Balshwin at first, but she would certainly think of something else.
It would be fortunate if she cowered in fear like others. But Lucienne, excluded from the work, wouldn’t stay still upon seeing Balshwin. She might pounce like a cat that had found a fish after starving for days.
“To think I’d compare Balshwin to a fish one day.”
A snort escaped him, but his expression remained grave.
The problem was that Balshwin was no ordinary fish. He was a fish that could devour a hundred cats at any time, but the cat wouldn’t know that and would attack anyway.
Arriving at the garden that led to the back of the Bickman mansion, he calmed his horse. First, he needed to assess the situation inside and locate Balshwin.
After tying the reins to a tree and carefully approaching the mansion, he suddenly sensed a presence mixed with the sound of rain and leaped. The branch behind him was cut off with an eerie sound.
“The party is already over.”
At the quiet male voice, Lars pulled up his mask. He felt a blade cutting through the air before he could secure his vision. He quickly drew a dagger from his chest and parried the blade aimed at him. A sharp metallic sound echoed through the garden.
Regaining his posture, Lars looked at the man standing before him. With a face like an indifferent doll, he looked innocent enough that a pen would suit him better than a sword. Lars’s lips curved.
“Working hard in this bad weather, Quido.”
His loosely tied long hair hung limp, soaked by the rain. Quido raised his drooping eyebrows and asked curiously.
“Did you rush here worried about the young lady?”
“Young lady?”
Lars laughed briefly and adjusted his grip on the dagger.
“You’ve got the wrong person. I don’t know any young lady.”
Quido narrowed his eyes and swung his sword. As the thin blade swiftly aimed for a vital point, Lars nimbly bent his body. His dagger, closing the distance in one move, narrowly grazed Quido’s neck. Quido instantly turned his body, and his elbow flew toward Lars’s chin.
His movements were light and quick. But he wasn’t an opponent Lars couldn’t defeat. The problem was why he was here.
Was Balshwin’s visit meant to investigate the Bickman family’s backers?
They might have guessed there was a backer, but they wouldn’t know his identity. It was highly likely that Balshwin had deliberately barged in when many eyes were watching to lure him out, with Quido waiting.
If so, there’s probably nothing unusual inside the mansion.
The sound of blades clashing—chang!—wandered among the trees. There was no benefit in dragging this out. Lars looked for an opening as the distance widened and dove in. His dagger cutting Quido’s arm and Quido reaching into his chest to throw something happened almost simultaneously.
“Indeed.”
Quido staggered backward and looked straight at him with a smile.
“You’re a handsome man impossible to forget once seen.”
……The mask!
By the time Lars realized, Quido had already run into the darkness. When he tried to chase after him, Quido had already disappeared into the storm. As before, he was exceptionally skilled at concealing himself.
Lars picked up what had fallen to the ground. What Quido had thrown was a small arrowhead-like shuriken. It seemed that as soon as he felt he couldn’t win with skill, he sacrificed his arm to identify Lars’s face. Quick judgment.
Wiping his damp cheek with his sleeve, Lars surveyed the Bickman mansion. Before entering, he thought he should check if any of Quido’s companions were hiding nearby.
* * *
“No, no! That’s not it……”
Kirhin, who lost his balance while flailing, instinctively grabbed whatever his hand touched and opened his eyes wide. It was just as Lars was about to kick his behind as he hid behind his lover’s back.
Kirhin’s eyes, still seeing remnants of the dream, suddenly became clear. Sitting in front of him, barely perched on the edge of the long sofa, were two people as still as a painting. Lucienne and Beitram.
Only then realizing he had fallen asleep, Kirhin felt like hitting his head against the wall. No matter how tired he was or how boringly the predictable game had dragged on, he had fallen asleep leaving that terrifying monster alone with Lucienne. No wonder Lars appeared in his dream to kick his behind.
The rain seemed to have weakened considerably, as the sound was no longer audible. Fortunately, it seemed nothing bad had happened. As he glanced sideways at Lucienne, he frowned.
Despite the fires lit around the reception room scattering warm sun-like colors, her face looked as pale as a corpse.
- ianthe
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